January 2022 Books

I am going to try to be better about sharing what I have read or am reading each month. I finished 4 novels in January and have almost finished a biography. I also read several children’s books with Miss J for her school things and we have just finished her first of a series of four books for science.

My Books:

Surprised By Joy by C.S. Lewis – This is an autobiography. It is quite raw and is his recalling of his youth, which shaped so much of his life. Lewis was sent to several boarding schools during his youth, all of which shaped him. Lewis’ purpose in this autobiography is to show how he was turned to athiesm and then converted to Christianity. It is quite raw in some places so beware and preread before handing this to a student. You will want to know some of the hardships he endured to guide discussions about it. I am really enjoying it and have just a couple of chapters left.

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P Dobbs – This is the story of a young girl during the revolution in Mexico and her journey to safety with her grandmother and younger siblings. She has to make many difficult choices and they are constantly on the run and in fear. It is a look at the sobering life many face during times of war around them. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Stolen Prince of Cloudburst by Jaclyn Moriarity – I thought this fantasy book about another world full of magic and magical creatures was fun. Finding your gift is really the theme of this one. It was after I read it and was putting it on my Goodreads list that I saw it was book number 3. It is such a well-written book that it stands alone well. Truly enjoyable.

Where The Desert Meets The Sea by Werner Sonne – This novel is about the land of Palestine at the end of WWII, when the fighting between the Jews looking for Zion and the Arabs wanting to keep the land they had and the British trying to be the mediators was heating up. It is a good historic look at the war between the Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land and the complications that the British occupation caused.The story talks about those who were fanatical about their beliefs as well as those who could see other sides of the issues and wanted everyone to get along. The hearts show through well and I did enjoy seeing how the sides clashed and got along in various ways and places. The characters were interesting and enjoyable to follow. There is a lot of violence, though not graphic, in the story, which is accurate for the setting. It does make it a harder book to read, though. It gave me additional information on the continued strife in that area of the world. A tough but interesting read.

The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar – This story is about the difficulties female pilots faced during WWII. The focus on the experience of these particular ladies was interesting to me. The main lady was posted as a flight instructor in Hawaii and was in the air when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened. This changed the course of her profession and we follow her through those changes, hopes, and heartbreaks. Flying with the WASP program allowed her a lot of joy but also brought challenges she never thought possible. This is a story of struggling through the difficulty and continuing on when so many things get in the way but always finding hope and courage to take the next step.

Other Books Consulted and Used but not read cover to cover –

The Complete Book of Who’s Who In The Bible by Philip Comfor and Walter A. Elwell

The Complete Book of When and Where In The Bible and Throughout History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten

I am certain there are others but these are the ones I wrote down. 🙂

With Miss J, we just completed The Math of a Milkshake which is the first of 4 books we are using for her chemistry/science this spring. She started it in November since she had completed the previous kitchen chemistry books I had scheduled out for her. She started Chemistry of Cola today.

We have read a couple of short children’s books to finish up Ancient Rome and begin the study of US states. She had requested this change since she wants to learn the capitals and nicknames for the US states. So, we have several books we will consult daily for that including National Geographic’s Our Fifty States, The Glorious American Songbook compiled by Cooper Edens, and From Sea To Shining Sea compiled by Amy L Cohn.

I think that is my main set of reading for January. We’ll see what February brings. I have an Elisabeth Elliot biography on my stack, as well as a book on mistakes in history. Should be exciting to read. What’s in your stack?

Blessings,
Lori, At Home.

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